CONVERSATION #1

topic: Kool and the Gang

You took the Al Jarreau clip down before I could comment! I had forgotten that was him. Shades of 80s Kool and the Gang (who I saw live twice ☺)

Kerra

I didn't want to seem all up in your feed. I can put it back up. The irony struck me that I first heard the news from you. Made me think of my parents. Mom liked Al Jarreau. Dad, not so much. Wait. You saw Kool and the Gang twice?

A.J.

Yep. I still have Twice as Kool on vinyl (double album) ☺

Kerra

Who are you?

A.J.

Ha! Sorry, are you appalled?

Kerra

I don't even know what songs are on that album. No, not appalled. Just strays from my notions that of what Lancashire lads listened to in the 80s

A.J.

It's a compilation, but lots of good stuff on it: https://www.discogs.com/Kool-The-Gang-Twice-As-Kool-The-Hits-Of-Kool-The-Gang/release/221740 Yeah. I was weird. Imagine that?

Kerra

Ha! And your favorite songs are?

A.J.

“Ooh La La La” and “Get Down on It.” ☺

Kerra

You got any other disco on vinyl?

A.J.

“Off the Wall”, of course. And some old Jackson 5 stuff.

Kerra

Well that just makes you hipster-ish

A.J.

Not much else. And it's all in the UK. I just got a new record player

Kerra

I couldn't remember how “Oooh La La” went and YouTubed it.

A.J.

Pretty great, huh?

Kerra

I'm still on you went to see Kool and the Gang twice

A.J.

Yeah ☺. Great live act

Kerra

They always had a great Horn section that I appreciated most on “Jungle Boogie”, which is my favorite.

A.J.

A.J.

Yeah, that's a great one too. A real ensemble band.

Kerra

It's (“Jungle Boogie”) racist, but when the horns come in it's like oh forget about it.

A.J.

Ha!

Kerra

I thought you more of an Earth, Wind and Fire (EW&F) kinda man.

A.J.

Do I have to choose? ☺ September era EW&F was pretty awesome.

Kerra

Nope, but you gotta put em all on the table.

A.J.

I may have that on vinyl too, now that I think of it.

Kerra

“September” was a great song to dance to at the cookout.

A.J.

But I loved my cassettes in those days. I liked vinyl because of the sound

Kerra

Did you have a Walkman?

A.J.

Of course!

Kerra

☺

A.J.

Got me through Japan, my Walkman. My most played cassette in those days was Terence Trent Darby. Remember him? Amazed that he never lasted.

Kerra

Yes, “Sign my name.”

A.J.

Great stuff.

Kerra

Now I am all in the 80s. Yes! Ok, so I'm watching the video for Ooh La La La...Kool and the Gang rolled 10 deep. They were a huge band.

And there's definitely a marked difference in the band's sound from the 70s to the 80s. Both are cool in their own way, although I do love 'Hollywood Swinging' and 'Jungle Boogie' (racist as it is) from the 70s.

A.J.

Yes, they were a huge band. It was great to see them on stage because there was something big and polished about all those cogs working together like a real band, rather than a bunch of session musicians jobbing behind a star.

Kerra

That's very true and it's hard for me to name other bands that had a similar dynamic.

A.J.

Excellent. I remember hearing an interview when James Taylor (the vocalist) was asked if he was the Kool of the band's title, and he said 'No, man. We all are.' ☺

Kerra

Yes, he went by 'J.T.' in the 80s when I heard of the band. Look at you...knowing the names of the band members. Who knew you had a thing for Kool and the Gang? I really am fascinated by this. It's like finding out someone you think you know has a double life as a sword juggler.

We are not experts

Neither Kerra nor A.J. have advanced degrees in race studies. Their qualifications are simply a willingness to share their views and, perhaps more importantly, to listen to each other. They hope to both teach and learn from the conversation, drawing not on complex theory or specialist insight but on everyday experience and the conviction that we NEED to talk about this stuff.